Index or file



July 3, A1921s. 1,615,331

W. H. DAY

INDEX OR FILE Patented July 3, 19,28.

'UNITED STATES PATENT orifice.

WILLIAM H. DAY, 0F k:EAST HVEN,`. CONNECTICUT; ASSIGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGN- MENTS, TO REMINGTON-RAND1INOVOF `NEW' YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION0F DELA- Inniizx` on FILE.

Appiicauon ined November 19, `1924.. serial No. 759,791.

cards are mounted upon a holdin()l device, and should be adapted to berea ily separated from each other, as well as easilyengaged byandreadily released from the holder.` Means may also be providedwlierebyone card sup-` perts another of the series, preferably the f underlyingone. Arrangements for nesting,

the indi vidual cards with the card next above ori-below, are aconvenience in someinstances, and when nested, itis desirable that lthecards lie ilatwise upon the support.`

(.)ne object of this inventionis to provide an improved form of indexcard, which: will be adapted to be enga-ged by and mounted upon asupporting member in such a manner that a plurality of the same maybear'- ranged in overlapping: relation with the `margin ot' each exposed`to view, and be' more readily separated' when so mounted` andv morereadily removed from orV appliedto,

said supporting member than previously experienced with similar types ofcards.`

Other `objects of this invention are to `pro-` vide means in combinationwith index cards of this and similar types, wherebywV the sup` port`engaging portion may be more` easily` manipulated, `whereby an easiermovement ot the card upon the support or into and outf ol nestedengagement with another card will be obtained, whereby the series of`cards will more compactly lie` upon the holder andl whereby'l thecoinbinedthickness ofthe cards and holder will be lessened. y l

To these and other ends, the invention consists inthe novel yfeaturesand., combination of parts to be hereinafter `described and claimed. y

In the accompanying drawings:` y

Fig. 1 illustrates one type of holder or frame, with which tlie'novelindex card of this4 invention is adapted for use;

Fig. 2 "is a view showing the `improved index cards which 1 embody thefeatures ofmy invention, mounted upon a supportingr inember which isadaptable for use with the frame shown in Fig. 1, or with other formsot' equipment, the cards being shown in various positions` thereon;

141g. 3 is a plan view of one ot the index cards;

Fig. 4 is a sectionon line 414-4 of'Fig. 2,1

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig..2;

1. i Big. 6 is plan `view ot the support engag- .ing portion of asomewhat modified form of` improved index card, and,

Fig. 7 is a bottom edge view of the card shown in Fig. 6.

The particular form ofindex card selected for illustrating `thisinvention is somewhat similar tothe index card described and claiiiiedin Patent No. 1,048,056, issued to Irving Fisher, December 24, 19.12,and in certain aspects of the invention may be cbn-` y swingable classusually insertable between likeleaves and being supported in avertically swingingvposition, having lateral extending support engagingfingers 111 A retaining, strip 12, adapted to engage and hold index`cards of this type, is mounted upon this leaf anda plurality ofindexcards l 13r4 arev arranged in series and retained thereby, the cardsbeing adapted, as willlbe pointed out hereinafter, to lie llatwise uponthe support in overlapping nested relation with a margin 1450i eachexposed to view. `The retaining `strip or supporting member 12,comprises'astrip of material, preferably sheet metal, provided with acentralportion" `15, and oppositely directed horizontally disposedflanged sides 16 and`17, which are raised above the plane of the centralpor-- tion. Thecentral portion l'may be secured to the holding frame ordevice by any suit` able means, ,such as rivets 18. When the supportingmember 12 is used with a device,

as shown in Fig. 1, a pair of spring lingers 19 and 2O are usuallyprovided to support the series ot cards againstV downward slippagetherefrom.` l

The index cards 13 are usually formed, from a sheet oi material, sucliascardboard, or the like, andare each provided with a` pair of tongues 21and 22, which are generally cut therefrom by suitably formed dies.` Thebase portion 23 or' these tongues is left integral with the card body,while tab portions 24 and 25 are formed on the respective tongues so asto lie in a substantially transverse line across the card and in opposedrelation, both being directed inwardly toward the longitudinal renter ofthe car. Previous to this invention, the material below these tabportions was allowed to remain joined to the body of the card at 2G, butthe principal disadvantage caused thereby was found to be eliminated bythe removal of this material, whereby openings 2T and 2S are formed,thereby spacing the inwardly directed tabs 2l and 25 from the margin ofthe card directly below the same. By this novel arrangement, oneadvantage obtained consists of the provision of convenient linger holdsoutlined by the curved line 29, whereby tongues 21 and 22 can be moreconveniently depressed in order to insert the tab portions 2l and 25,respectively, beneath the flanged sides 1G and 17 of the supportingmember 15. In addition to this ad antago, the cards when nested togetherwith the edge of one between the tongues and the rear surface ofanother, can more easily be separated from each other out-*of nesti jengagement, due to the elimination of the additional friction of the'gripping action upon the nested card, caused by the material whichpreviously lilled the openings 2T and 28. Another advantage obtained isthat the card can be more easily slipped along the supporting strip 12,after having been mounted thereon, which likewise was made possible bythe elimination of the friction or gripping action, by the provision ofopenings at the above described point. Still another advantage obtainedby the use of this novel form of card is that the cards may be morereadily slipped over the end 29 of the supporting member 12, as shown atthe upper portion of F 2, due to the fact that the tab portions 2land 25are free at their lower edges and are more exposed for engagement by theflange ends 29, because of the provision of openings therebelow. Theseadvantages all combine to increase the usefulness of the index card byspeeding up the operation of liling the cards, either as a new seriesupon a support or by the addition of others to an already existingindex, and by allowing a more rapid inspection or reference thereto bythe increased ease of manipulation thereof. Y

The cards 13 are also caused to lie more flatly upon the supportingmember 12 (than previously experienced in this type of card), by theprovision of the openings 27 and 28. Previously the material at thesepoints, because of not being positively retained vin the plane of thecard, was forced upwardly by the underlying nested card, whereby theoverlying card was sprung upwardly at the sides thereof. This upwardspringing action also caused each succeeding card to stand outwardlyaway from the other intermediate the sides at the exposed marginthereof, By the provision of the openings 27 and 28, therefore, thecards not only lie more fiatly upon the support at the side edgesthereof, but each adjacent card also lies more flatly upon the othercard, being substantially in contact therewith across the entiresuperimposed surface area, the action being in this instance, oneVtending toward side edge depression instead of upward springing.

In order to increase the tendency to lie tlatwise upon the support, theaddition of the features shown in Figs. 6 and 7, may be provided, and incertain aspects thereof these f are also useful when app ied to theparticular form of cards of the Fisher patent men- Y ,tioned above, orother forms for like uses, as

well as the cards of the present invention.

These features comprise the offsetting of the i tongues or supportengaging portions 21 and 22 rearwardly out of the plane of the body ofthe card. @ne arrangement by which this may be accomplished is shown inl? 6 and 7, where the portions 30 and 31 of the card 13, adjacent theconnection of the tongues therewith are pressed rearwardly out of theplane of the remainder of the card a sufficient amount to allow the tabportions 2-1- and 25 of the tongues to more readily engage beneath theflanges 16 and 17 without distorting the remainder of the card. Thisstructure also offsets rearwardly the edges 32 and 33 upon which theunderlying nested card edUe rests, a sullicient amount, so that saidedges lie in substantially the same plane thereof, whereby a moreellieient and positive support is produced in substantially the form ofan upwardly directed shoulder.

As stated above, the provision of the openingsr27 and 28 in the indexcards instead of leaving the material of the card therein, which asshown at 35, is directly above the high points or lianges 16 and 17 ofthe support 12, the upwardly springing action of thc center portion ofthe cards of the series is avoided and, therefore, when a large `numberof leaves 10 are arranged in juxtaposed position less space is requiredin cross Section of the combined leaf and contained cards before thereis interference or contact between the opposed cards of adjacentvleaves. This obviously allows a larger numbcr of leaves to be usedwithin a given lateral space and so increases the data containingl areaof the whole unit of index equipment.

It will, of course., be understood that while the above description isbased upon the particular card shown and the position of the. same upona support which, in this instance, is generally termed upstandinq, thatthe features above noted may also be embodied in the so-calleddownhanging lili) lll) cardwith equal results to obtain the advantagesnoted.`

W'hile I'have' shown anddescribed a preferred embodiment of myinvention,it will be understood that th'e same is not limited: thereto in allofits details, but is capable-ofv tab portion, substantially inparallelism with i said marginal portion, the portion of said card beingremoved below said tab' whereby said tab is spaced from said margin.

2. In an index or file, a card-retaining` strip adapted-to present apairof outwardly directed flanges, air inde-x card mounted thereon,said'cards` being provided with a pair of tongues struck therefrom andadjacent a marginal portion thereof; said tongues having inwardlydirected tabportions for engagement beneatlisaid flanges, said' tabsvbeing spaced from said marginal portion to provide openings between saidtabs and said marginal portionV through which said tongue may be readilymanipulated to insert said tabs beneath said flanges.

3. In an index or file, a card-retaining strip adapted to present a pairof outwardly directed flanges, an index card mounted thereon, said cardbeing provided with a pair of tongues struck therefrom and adjacent amarginal portion thereof, said tongues having inwardly directed tabportions for engagement beneath said flanges, said tabs being spacedfrom said marginal portion to provide openings between said tabs andsaid marginal portion through which said flanges may readily be insertedto engage said tab portions. Y

4. In an index or file, a card-retaining strip adapted to present a pairof outwardly directed flanges, an index card slidingly mounted thereon,said card being rovided with a pair of tongues struck therefiiom andadjacent a marginal portion thereof, said tongues having inwardlydirected tab portions for engagement beneath said flanges, said tabsbeing spaced fromr said marginal portion to provide openings betweensaid tabs and said marginal portion and co-extensive with said tabsthrou h which said flanges may readily slide `wien in engagement withsaid tabs. Y

5. In an index or file, a frame provided with a card-retaining striphaving outwardly directed flanges at both edges thereof, a series ofindex cards mounted thereon in nested overlapped relation, each of saidcards being provided with a pair of tongues struck therefrom andadjacent a marginal portion thereof,` said tongues having in# wardlydirected tab por`t1ons-forengag`e-` ment beneathsaid flanges, oneofsaid-cards being provided with al tongue struck there'- from and4adjacent a marginal portion thereof; saidtongue having an inwardlydirected tab portion for engagement beneath said flange, oneof saidcards being nested between the tongue and body of another card, said tablbeing spaced from` said marginal portion to provide an opening betweenvsaid tabs and said marginal portion andicoextensive with said tabsthrough which said `flange may be readily/inserted, whereby said seriesof cards may readily slide thereon.

7. InL an index or file, strip provided with outwardly directedlflanges, an index card slidingly `mounted thereon having a pair oftongues provided with inwardly directed tab portions to engage beneathsaid flanges, said tongues being connected to said card adjacent amarginal portion thereof, said tab portions being spaced above theconnecting point of said tongues with the marginal portion of said card,whereby an opening coextensive with said tab portions is formedtherebetween.

8. In an index or file, an index card having oppositely directed tonguesstruck therefrom and jo1ned to a` marginal portion of said card, saidtongues and the marginal portion joined thereto being offset rearwardlybeyond the plane of said card.

9. In an index or file, an index card provided with a tongue directedinwardly from a marginal portion thereof', said tongue being connectedat its base to said marginal portion and with said marginal portionoffset from the plane of the surface of said card.

10. In an index or file, vided with a'pair of tongues connected to amarginal portion of said card, said tongues having tab portionsprojecting toward each other, said tongues and part of said marginalportion being depressed below the surface of said car A 1l. In an indexor file, an index card provided with a pair of tongues connected to amarginal portion of said card and having tab portions projecting towardeach other,

a card-retaining an index card pro- IUU said tongues and part of saidmarginal portion being depressed below the Surface of said card, saidtabs being spaced from said marginal portion of said Card by an openingformed by the removal of the portion of laid card lying between Said taband niarginal portion thereof.

12. In an index or lile` an index Card provided with a tongue directedinwardly from the lower marginal portion thereof` and an upwardlydirected Shoulder extending parallel with said marginal portion to oneside of the Connecting point between S'aid tongue and said card.

13. In an index or tile, an index Card provided with a tongue directed.inwardly from the lower marginal portion thereof7 and an upwardlydirected Shoulder extending parallel with said marginal portion to oneside of the connecting point between said tongue and said card, saidshoulder being ottset from the plane of said lard.

14. In an index or tile` :in index Card provided with a Struck-outtongue joined to and directed inwardly from a marginal portion of saidearth said tongue and the portion of the margin of Said Card, includedwithin the portion of Said tongue at the jiunrture thereof with themarginal portion being depressed below the plane of said card.

15. In an index or file, an index Cardv comprising a strip of materialhaving'a portion adjacent the lower marginal portion thereof strucktherefrom to :form ay tongue, Said tongue being joined to and directedupwardly from said marginal portion. a portion of the margin of saidcard at each side oi` said tongue being separated from Said card andoffset from the plane of said fard to form an upwardly directed Shoulderat each Side of said tongue.

1G. In an index or lile, an index Card Comprising a strip of materialhaving a portion adjacent the lower marginal portion thereof Strucktherefrom to form a tongue-` said tmigue heir oined to and directedupwardly from said marginal portion` a portion of the margin of PaidCard at each Side of said tongue being separated from Said Card andoffset from the plane of said Card to form an upwardly directed shoulderat each side of said tongue1 Said tongue having a tab portion directedsubetantially parallel to the marginal portion of Said card and spacedfrom one of Said shoulders by the removal of the material forming SaidCard lying therebetween.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my VVILLIA M H. DAY.

hand this 17th day of November, 1924.'

CERTIFICATE 0F CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,675,33l. Granted .uiy 3, 1928, to

WILLIAM H. DAY.

It is hereby eertiiieei that. eti-or appears in tite primedspecification of the above numbered patent requiting corteotion asfoiiows: Page 2, line 5, for the word "oaf" 'read "card", page 3, line18, eiaim i, fot the word "margin" read "marginal portion"; line 22,claim 2, for the wotd "eaids" read "card"; line 69, claim 5, for"tongue" read "tongues"; line 70, 'for "tab" read "tabs" and line 73,strike out the Word "therebetween"; and that said Letters Patent shouldbe read with these corrections thetein that the same may conform to therecor of the case io the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 28th, day of August, A. D. 1928.

M. J. Moore, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

DISCLAIMER 1,675,831.-Willam H. Day, East Haven, Conn. INDEX 0R FILE.Patent dated July 3, 1928. Disclaimer led November 18, 1929, by theassignee by mesne assignments, Remington Rand Inc.

Hereby enters this disclaimer to that part of the claim in saidspecilication which is in the following words, to witz` 12. In an indexor file, an index card provided with a tongue directed inwardly from thelower marginal portion thereof, and an upwardly directed shoulderextending parallel with said marginal portion to one side of theconnecting point between said tongue and said card.

[Ojcial Gazette December 1929.]

